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Exodus 22

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1 If a man takes without right another man's ox or his sheep, and puts it to death or gets a price for it, he is to give five oxen for an ox, or four sheep for a sheep, in payment: the thief will have to make payment for what he has taken; if he has no money, he himself will have to be exchanged for money, so that payment may be made.

2 If a thief is taken in the act of forcing his way into a house, and his death is caused by a blow, the owner of the house is not responsible for his blood.

3 But if it is after dawn, he will be responsible.

4 If he still has what he had taken, whatever it is, ox or ass or sheep, he is to give twice its value.

5 If a man makes a fire in a field or a vine-garden, and lets the fire do damage to another man's field, he is to give of the best produce of his field or his vine-garden to make up for it.

6 If there is a fire and the flames get to the thorns at the edge of the field, causing destruction of the cut grain or of the living grain, or of the field, he who made the fire will have to make up for the damage.

7 If a man puts money or goods in the care of his neighbour to keep for him, and it is taken from the man's house, if they get the thief, he will have to make payment of twice the value.

8 If they do not get the thief, let the master of the house come before the judges and take an oath that he has not put his hand on his neighbour's goods.

9 In any question about an ox or an ass or a sheep or clothing, or about the loss of any property which anyone says is his, let the two sides put their cause before God; and he who is judged to be in the wrong is to make payment to his neighbour of twice the value.

10 If a man puts an ass or an ox or a sheep or any beast into the keeping of his neighbour, and it comes to death or is damaged or is taken away, without any person seeing it:

11 If he takes his oath before the Lord that he has not put his hand to his neighbour's goods, the owner is to take his word for it and he will not have to make payment for it.

12 But if it is taken from him by a thief, he is to make up for the loss of it to its owner.

13 But if it has been damaged by a beast, and he is able to make this clear, he will not have to make payment for what was damaged.

14 If a man gets from his neighbour the use of one of his beasts, and it is damaged or put to death when the owner is not with it, he will certainly have to make payment for the loss.

15 If the owner is with it, he will not have to make payment: if he gave money for the use of it, the loss is covered by the payment.

16 If a man takes a virgin, who has not given her word to another man, and has connection with her, he will have to give a bride-price for her to be his wife.

17 If her father will not give her to him on any account, he will have to give the regular payment for virgins.

18 Any woman using unnatural powers or secret arts is to be put to death.

19 Any man who has sex connection with a beast is to be put to death.

20 Complete destruction will come on any man who makes offerings to any other god but the Lord.

21 Do no wrong to a man from a strange country, and do not be hard on him; for you yourselves were living in a strange country, in the land of Egypt.

22 Do no wrong to a widow, or to a child whose father is dead.

23 If you are cruel to them in any way, and their cry comes up to me, I will certainly give ear;

24 And in the heat of my wrath I will put you to death with the sword, so that your wives will be widows and your children without fathers.

25 If you let any of the poor among my people have the use of your money, do not be a hard creditor to him, and do not take interest.

26 If ever you take your neighbour's clothing in exchange for the use of your money, let him have it back before the sun goes down:

27 For it is the only thing he has for covering his skin; what is he to go to sleep in? and when his cry comes up to me, I will give ear, for my mercy is great.

28 You may not say evil of the judges, or put a curse on the ruler of your people.

29 Do not keep back your offerings from the wealth of your grain and your vines. The first of your sons you are to give to me.

30 In the same way with your oxen and your sheep: for seven days let the young one be with its mother; on the eighth day give it to me.

31 You are to be holy men to me: the flesh of no animal whose death has been caused by the beasts of the field may be used for your food; it is to be given to the dogs.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 4456

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4456. 'Increase the dowry and gift to any size, and I will give whatever you tell me' means that he will accept the things which exist with them and will make those things his own; that it is to say, he will accept the external things of the Church which are theirs and make those things his own together with the internal ones which are his own, and in this way they will constitute one Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'giving whatever you tell me' as making one with them in truth and good; dealt with immediately above in 4455. The actual 'dowry and gift' which he told them to increase to any size means a consenting to become one, for the dowry that was given to a virgin who was to be betrothed was a token of the consent given by both parties. One reason why he tells them to increase the dowry and gift to any size - and so to go above the statutory requirement, which was fifty pieces of silver - is that he lay with her before his adoption of their semblance of religion, and therefore it was a matter for Jacob either to consent or to refuse, in accordance with the law also known to the ancients which is set out in Exodus 22:16-17. But the chief reason why he tells them to do so was the desire for the joining together, that is to say, for the joining of interior truth meant by 'Shechem' to the affection for exterior truth meant by 'Dinah'. The reason why a dowry was a token of consent and so a strengthening of the first stage is that weighing or giving silver was a sign that a thing was one's own, and so that the virgin was his; and the acceptance of the silver was a sign of reciprocation. It was accordingly a sign that the bride was the bridegroom's, and the bridegroom the bride's.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.